art history and theory

Vera Glushchenko was born in 1985 into Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish heritage, and before moving to Sydney in 2013, she studied and worked in the dynamic environment of Moscow.

After participating in a series of concerts for several major symphonic music halls in Moscow, Vera received a diploma in history and theory of music, specialising in the violin and the piano. She later earned a fine arts specialist degree from the Faculty of History at Moscow State University after submitting her final thesis titled 'The Surrealist Concept of Matter and Materiality in Salvador Dali’s Artworks'.

 Vera completed a master’s degree program with distinction in creative enterprise and arts administration at Central Queensland University. She also did a series of courses in art, philosophy and neuroscience at various Australian universities.

Dedicated to the academic methodology, Vera is exploring the problem of social communication through creative practices.   

Vera started her career as a fine art insurance expert for the Spasskiye Vorota Insurance Group in Moscow, a former insurer of the State Pushkin Museum and other Russian collections that provided professional evaluations of storage and transportation conditions and a full range of art insurance, from ‘nail to nail’. 

Following her time with the insurance group, she coordinated a series of projects for the Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, an organisation responsible for opening the first private exhibition space in Moscow. Vera assisted curators from initial idea exploration to public presentation. She coordinated documentation, insurance, custom clearance, transportation, installation and deinstallation for the foundation’s local and international exhibitions. 

Vera supervised the communication and activities of all parties involved, with each project on schedule and under budget. Vera also managed the publishing process of foundation’s multi-language catalogues, she participated in compiling, editing and translating art research, and she coordinated image and text resources.  

Vera managed such projects as 'The Grace Kelly Years: Princess of Monaco' (in cooperation with the Grimaldi Forum of Monaco), 'A Feast of Wonders: Sergey Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes' (in cooperation with the National Museum de Monaco and the State Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow) and 'Field of Action: The Moscow Conceptual School in Context 1970s–1980s' (in cooperation with Calvert 22, London). 

She handled public relations and marketing for the exhibition projects through different media platforms, and she organized opening events, press conferences and guided tours for collectors, art professionals and the public. Vera was also responsible for the Ekaterina Foundation’s brand presentation at the ARCOmadrid Art Fair. 

Vera acquired a series of loans from private collectors Ekaterina and Vladimir Semenikhin to fund various exhibitions throughout Russia and Europe, she managed the loan and copyright agreements, and she followed the publishing and public presentations of the exhibits. She also travelled as a collection courier, supervising and reporting on the safety and condition of the pieces. 

 Apart from culture traveling, Vera has experienced many outdoor activities around the world, including hiking, trail riding and camping, in the Altai, Caucasus and Himalaya Mountains. She has also done some skydiving, canyoning and bush trekking in Australia. Vera is the author of the Sydney city guide ('ELLE Russia', June 2010).